Eviction notices issued at Guelph encampment

People living in an encampment in Guelph have been told they have two weeks to pack up and get out.

Eviction notices were taped to tents and structures set up in St. George’s Square as the city begins enforcing a new bylaw passed by council last month. Residents living in the encampment have until Nov. 13 to leave.

Guelph Mayor Cam Guthrie said this is the next phase in a plan to make the space available for the whole community.

“Since Oct. 1, we’ve been working with these individuals as best as we can to try to give them the proper supports that they need to not have the structures there,” Guthrie said.

Guelph’s new Public Space Bylaw came into effect at the beginning of this month after it gained council’s approval on Sept. 10. The city says the bylaw aims to “achieve a balance that allows for spaces owned or operated by the city to be accessed and enjoyed by all residents for their intended community purposes.”

The bylaw outlines certain areas where temporary structures, such as encampments, can be set up and specifies some conditions for how long those structures can remain.

However, the city’s enforcement strategy is not sitting well with some residents, including some people who were formally unhoused.

“These people deserve housing. These people deserve equity,” resident Sarah Grace said.

“It doesn’t have to be this way. We’re supposed to be taking care of each other,” Grace added.

Guthrie said the city has been trying to work with residents of the St. George’s Square encampment to find accommodation elsewhere.

“I have been told that every single person there has been offered actual shelter, an actual unit where they can go,” Guthrie said. “Unfortunately, sometimes for certain reasons, individuals refused that.”

The city said the eviction notices are part of a larger plan to revitalize the downtown core.

“Public spaces are for everyone,” Guthrie said. “They should be safe and welcoming for everyone and structures that impede the movement of everyone else in the public space and that could cause other problems is not in public order in communities that should be basically allowed, in my point of view,” he added.

What’s next?

At this point, there seems to be no concrete plan for what comes next if residents refuse to leave.

Guthrie told CTV News the next phase of enforcement would have to be discussed after Nov. 13.

It is not clear if the city would go in and remove any remaining structures at that time.

CTV News has reached out to Wellington County Health Services who assist the unhoused population in Guelph.